No more HD Distant Networks?

MikeD-C05

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Nov 25, 2003
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Even if DISH does offer distants I don't see how anyone can legally get them since DISH has all 210 dmas up on the satellite. Unless they allow you to get HD distants for a network ,not in hd in your local pack. Then it would make sense.
 

Tampa8

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So limited of a viewpoint.

Remember there are lots of RVers and Truckers, a significant market

I stand by my post 100%. The percentage of Dish subscribers who are RVer's and Truckers, is an extremely small amount. Offering it to them would certainly be a welcomed service for them, but in no way would it be for financial reasons for Dish to to it. In fact, I would say the satellite space would be better spent providing 24HR HD RSN's or more HD channels, to keep subscribers. Also, the RVers and Truckers are served with the networks from AAD, though I realize in SD. Which brings another question. Of the small amount of people who are in this category how many have HD TV's? There is still a good amount of people in homes that yet have bought an HD TV.
 

Brussam

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Nov 30, 2006
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Don't know the exact number but there are about 1,000,000 full-time RVers. Figure 70% satellite TV usage and 50% Dish, that is 350,000. That is not counting the extended time RVers. Then add in the Truckers.

If Dish goes into the DNS market, then would you believe Sobongo.would still be providing DNS?

Then look at the market dynamics, a RVer or Trucker DNS user represents a full subscription. A RSN doesn't.

The cost to Dish is less than the cost to Sobongo to deliver DNS. Change New York and Los Angeles from spot beams to Conus. Those transponders fulfill the Local market and DNS. Sobongo can only provide DNS. The NY & LA spot beams used for other purposes.
 
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terpsmandan

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Feb 7, 2008
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Somewhere near here
I had them from Chicago until last summer when I moved to a market that had the networks in HD. With Dish finally filling in the holes in it's LIL coverage, it was just a matter of time before AAD got wound down, seeing as how once all the LIL markets were covered that no Dish subscriber would be able to legally prove non coverage. I used a made up address to get mine and I am sure that many others did the same becasue my LIL didn't have HD.
 

Juan

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Sep 14, 2003
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I stand by my post 100%. The percentage of Dish subscribers who are RVer's and Truckers, is an extremely small amount. Offering it to them would certainly be a welcomed service for them, but in no way would it be for financial reasons for Dish to to it. In fact, I would say the satellite space would be better spent providing 24HR HD RSN's or more HD channels, to keep subscribers. Also, the RVers and Truckers are served with the networks from AAD, though I realize in SD. Which brings another question. Of the small amount of people who are in this category how many have HD TV's? There is still a good amount of people in homes that yet have bought an HD TV.
There are plenty of "small markets" that need "fill ins" conus HD distants would be an easy way to go
 

lakebum431

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Any speculation as to which markets will be used by Dish to offer distants (if they do?). They used to offer NY and LA right?
 

splino

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Nov 22, 2003
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MikeD-C05 said:
Still have them here at 8:30am Saturday morning.

Hey Mike, if you still have them by kickoff today (5:30 est), let me know so I can go to your house to watch the game. I'll bring the Dorito's...
 

Tampa8

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There are plenty of "small markets" that need "fill ins" conus HD distants would be an easy way to go

Still disagree. They can give a neighboring network with no more sat space used whatsover, which I thought was one of the main reasons that Dish got permission. (And possibly for significantly viewed) I'm not saying Dish definitely won't offer HD distants, but I think being able to give neighboring networks to the very few unserved by a particular network is an easy way to go and uses no more Sat space.
 
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mike123abc

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Sep 25, 2003
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Dish can also put distants on spot beams for fill in markets. One thing to note is that Dish cannot fill in an SD market with HD distants.

Dish will be extremely limited on what they can do with distants. It is also interesting that AAD seems to be keeping the SD channels. Dish may stay out of the distants market except for fill in and let AAD keep the SD RVers.

It will be interesting to see what happens.
 

Mr Tony

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Nov 17, 2003
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There are plenty of "small markets" that need "fill ins" conus HD distants would be an easy way to go

Still disagree. They can give a neighboring network with no more sat space used whatsover, which I thought was one of the main reasons that Dish got permission. (And possibly for significantly viewed) I'm not saying Dish definitely won't offer HD distants, but I think being able to give neighboring networks to the very few unserved by a particular network is an easy way to go and uses no more Sat space.

Also unless the actual locals in the market are carried in HD Dish can't turn on the neighboring/distant/SV stations in HD. Plenty of markets like that.
Neighboring market (Mankato, MN) has CBS and Fox only. Dish carries those 2 in SD and "fills in" NBC & ABC from Minneapolis. Since that CBS isnt carried in HD(Fox is a subchannel and has no HD content...its 480i widescreen) Dish can't give then ABC & NBC in HD

Directv can since they carry the HD feed of the CBS. And in a strange twist, the Fox subchannel didnt start until 7/1/07 and D* carried the CBS before that (they took out a full page ad in the paper there when Dish lost the right to carry distants back in 06) so D* customers get Fox from Minneapolis and all 4 nets in HD.
 

Rlanham

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Jan 22, 2004
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Call left on my answerine machine said my CBS-HD feed would end at midnight on 1/12/11, but I could call in and still get digital.
CBS-HD Chicago still showing 7pm 1/15/11. Maybe they will forget to turn it off. :)
 

Tampa8

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Dish can also put distants on spot beams for fill in markets. One thing to note is that Dish cannot fill in an SD market with HD distants.

Dish will be extremely limited on what they can do with distants. It is also interesting that AAD seems to be keeping the SD channels. Dish may stay out of the distants market except for fill in and let AAD keep the SD RVers.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

That's my guess.
 

Crash758

Active SatelliteGuys Member
Jun 4, 2010
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Salisbury, MD
MikeD-C05 said:
Even if DISH does offer distants I don't see how anyone can legally get them since DISH has all 210 dmas up on the satellite. Unless they allow you to get HD distants for a network ,not in hd in your local pack. Then it would make sense.

They don't have them all up... My locals, Salisbury, MD, isnt up and it sucks!
 

psdstu

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May 11, 2004
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Marianna, FL
Also unless the actual locals in the market are carried in HD Dish can't turn on the neighboring/distant/SV stations in HD. Plenty of markets like that.
Neighboring market (Mankato, MN) has CBS and Fox only. Dish carries those 2 in SD and "fills in" NBC & ABC from Minneapolis. Since that CBS isnt carried in HD(Fox is a subchannel and has no HD content...its 480i widescreen) Dish can't give then ABC & NBC in HD

Directv can since they carry the HD feed of the CBS. And in a strange twist, the Fox subchannel didnt start until 7/1/07 and D* carried the CBS before that (they took out a full page ad in the paper there when Dish lost the right to carry distants back in 06) so D* customers get Fox from Minneapolis and all 4 nets in HD.

Based on this ...... Panama City has ABC, NBC, and FOX locals in HD...... "fill in" CBS from Dothan is SD....then am I right in thinking that Dish could offer those of us in the Panama City DMA a neighbooring/distant/sv station in HD?
 

amoni

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Jun 13, 2004
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Now I'm confused. My locals are in HD but I can't get them. Because of my particular location, I can't get The EA so they spent a day getting me all other HD content with a 129/119/110 set up. I received the networks HD thru AAD. All's well until this week of course. The AAD person said it because of DISH. How does it benefit Dish if all but a few lose their distant HD but they can't actually keep supplying the HD to us themselves? Who wins in this situation? They lost the transponder rent from AAD and now have unhappy customers.
 

Tampa8

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Mine are still on also. (8:30AM) Certainly is strange that their site seems to be gone. As pointed out at another site, they dont' seem to be just down, but appear to have ended the mydistantnetwork site. That would mean they aren't taking any new subscriptions to SD either. Combined with ending C-Band in December it looks like they are done with TV other than being a Dishnetwork seller.

I guess my hope would be that it was AAD that was ending service rather than Dish doing it, and that Dish will get another provider? Because that is the only way most would still be able to get distants. Strange that they are still turned on.
 

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